Susan Ralston

Susan Bonzon Ralston (born October 15, 1967), is the President of SBR Enterprises, LLC, a government affairs, public relations and business consulting firm, which assists businesses with strategic partnership development, public affairs and public relations activities. Ralston was formerly Special Assistant to President George W. Bush and a deputy to Karl Rove, the Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor at the White House, from 2001 until her resignation in 2006.

Ralston was born in Pennsylvania to Filipino-American parents, Teotimo D. Bonzon and Purificacion Lagman Bonzon. She graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a Bachelor's degree with honors, and from Keller Graduate School of Management with Masters of Business Administration.

Before moving to Washington, D.C., Ralston was an office administrator for M&J Wilkow, Ltd., a commercial real estate firm in Chicago, Illinois. In Washington, she worked for Jack Abramoff, at the legal and lobbying firm of Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds, LLP. In 2001, when Abramoff left Preston Gates to work at Greenberg Traurig, she also changed firms, continuing to work for Abramoff, with the title of Assistant Director of Governmental Affairs.

Ralston was hired in 2001 as the most senior assistant to Karl Rove. Ralston was the Special Assistant to the President and a deputy to Rove, the Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor at the White House for almost six years. She was responsible for managing the activities that comprised the Office of the Senior Advisor, including the development of policy, strategic planning, political affairs, public liaison, and intergovernmental affairs efforts of the White House. She was also responsible for the development and production of presidential and major surrogate events.

As a Filipino-American, Ralston was a member of the Presidential Delegation to attend the Inauguration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines in June 2004.She took part in a bi-partisan exchange to Vietnam in August 2003 that was organized by the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL).

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